Herms were and are wooden or stone pillars topped by the human
torso. They were ancient fertility symbols and often sported a protruding
phallus. The herms were placed at crossroads
in ancient Rome, and the Etruscans placed similar figures in cultivated
fields.(see Lares) Roman herms have been discovered
in the British Isles. It is thought these figures were probably the personification
the spirit of the land intended to ensure fertility. A.G.H.